Political leaders and leadership Books

Book SynopsisAided by meticulous knowledge of the former Prime Minister's diary, and with characteristic conciseness and clarity, H. Blair Neatby has written the impressive and long-awaited third volume of the official biography of Mackenzie King. He carefully and judiciously untangles a complexity of issues in Canadian political history to produce definitive accounts of controversies that have engaged the attention of Canadian historians for years. Beginning the story in 1932, this volume treats the depression years when King was first in Opposition and then the years after 1935 when he was once again Prime Minister; it is a masterly analysis of how one of the most enigmatic figures in Canadian history made shrewd and critical political decisions. Attention is paid in turn to his clearly successful tactics as Leader of the Opposition; the election campaign of 1935; a wide range of his domestic policies, including those on unemployment, inflation, relief, and trade; and to a series of international

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Book SynopsisThe private letters of a statesman are always inviting material for historians and when he has claim to literary fame as well the correspondence assumes a double significance.Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) belonged to an age that gave pride of place to the written word as an instrument of both business and pleasure.This volume includes 363 letters (many previously unpublished) from his school boy days to his establishment in the Tory camp under the patronage of Lord Lyndhurst. Most prominent are Disraeli's letters to his sister, Sarah, with whom he corresponded frequently over several decades. To her he confided his hopes, interspersed with his observations and descriptions of social, literary and political events. The letters to Sarah supply a skeleton around which Disraeli's young manhood can be reconstructed and shed valuable light on the remaining documents in the volume.The correspondence also includes accounts of his tour of the Low Countries and the Rhine

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Book SynopsisThe 334 letters in this volume cover the period from Disraeli's establishment in the Tory camp under the patronage of Lord Lyndhurst to his election to parliament in 1837. The most important issue to which they speak is the course of Disraeli's political ambitions.In 1835 the road to parliament was not yet clear, for he continued to be haunted by troubles from his past. He was beset by charges of opportunism in his Taunton campaign of 1835, and the longest letters here are those to Edwards Beadon written in justification of past conduct; Disraeli had still to learn the truth of his later dictum, 'never explain.' Also, debts contracted many years before continued to plague him, as they would in years to come. He was tempted by a variety of money-making schemes and the later correspondence makes clear just how close he came to permanent ruin at the hands of his creditors in the spring of 1837. Had the fate of debtors' prison materialized it is doubtful that he would ever have b

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Book SynopsisEllen Fairclough is perhaps best known as the first woman in Canada to become a federal cabinet minister. John Diefenbaker appointed her Secretary of State in 1957. In the course of her career she also served as Minister of Citizenship and Immigration and Minister responsible for Indian Affairs, and was in charge of the National Gallery, the National Film Board, the Dominion Archives, and the National Library. She was also a chartered accountant, a business woman, a local politician in Hamilton, and a wife and mother. At a time when many people believed that a woman's place was in the home, she successfully balanced family obligations with a career in the largely male world of federal politics.Writing with the style and wit for which she was famous as a politician, Ellen Fairclough, now ninety, tells her story. Her reminiscences describe her early life, her efforts to become a business woman, and her experiences as a Progressive Conservative member for the constituency of Ham

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Book SynopsisLa Galissionière was the most remarkable of the governors of New France in the eighteenth century, although he spent only a short time there (1747 to 1749). He stood out above all through his intellectual qualities: his mind was brilliant, wide-ranging, and nourished by a creative imagination which was fertile in new ideas and rapid solutions.Roland-Michel Barrin de la Galissonière was born at Rochefort, France, in November 1693 to a family which included in its ranks members of the parlement, intendants, wealthy merchants, and powerful officials. At 17 he joined the navy, and after a successful career was sent to Canada at the age of 54 as "commander-in-chief of the colony," at a time when it was in great peril. Louisbourg and Acadia had been lost to the English; the Gulf of St. Lawrence was infested with English privateers; Quebec was under constant threat of invasion from the south, and its vital alliance with the Indians was proving to be shaky. The western fur trading we

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Book SynopsisThis biography tells the life story of Nebraska native Clayton Yeutter (19302017), whose accomplishments in international trade, agriculture, and economics are still very prominent in today's world.Trade Review“Clayton Yeutter used to tell reporters his name rhymed with ‘fighter.’ Joseph Weber captures the negotiating chops and Nebraska-sized personality of the poor farm boy who became President Reagan’s trade-warrior-in-chief and President George H. W. Bush’s secretary of agriculture.”—Peter Coy, economics editor, Bloomberg Businessweek“Clayton Yeutter was a pragmatic political entrepreneur who, as Republican National Committee chairman, managed the delicate balance between the growing factions within a party in desperate need of leadership and rebuilding.”—Michael S. Steele, former Republican National Committee chairman and former lieutenant governor of Maryland“Clayton Yeutter played an indispensable role in American history when he helped negotiate the 1988 Canada–United States Free Trade Agreement. What followed was the more expansive 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement and a toppling of dominoes around the world as nation after nation reduced trade barriers. Joseph Weber’s biography of Yeutter is a thoughtful examination of a statesman at the forefront of this and other debates critical to U.S. politics and policy.”—James A. Baker III, former U.S. secretary of the treasury“Joseph Weber has captured the essence of an endangered species—the principled Republican moderate. Clayton Yeutter believed that progress requires engagement and compromise, and he used his keen intellect and Nebraska know-how to bring our world closer together. This perceptive biography reminds us of the days when ‘globalization’ wasn’t a dirty word and when ‘international trade’ was considered an economic building block.”—Richard S. Dunham, co-director of the Global Business Journalism program at Tsinghua University, Beijing, and former president of the National Press Club“Joseph Weber’s detailed biography of Clayton Yeutter brilliantly captures the outstanding character, warm personality, and enormous talent of a man who has so richly contributed to our nation and its values. It is particularly timely in today’s contentious political climate and is a must-read for aspiring future leaders.”—Carla A. Hills, former U.S. secretary of housing and urban development and U.S. trade representative“Clayton Yeutter was a man of remarkable talent. Clayton’s biography by Joseph Weber tells the story of a young man who grew up on a farm in Nebraska and never forgot his roots. It was Clayton who leveled the playing field for American farmers and ranchers so they could sell their products worldwide. As the book so convincingly shows, Clayton was always willing to take risks and break some china to make the world a better place. Thanks to Joseph Weber for telling the story of an honorable man who used his life to accomplish great things.”—Michael O. Johanns, former U.S. secretary of agriculture, Nebraska governor, and U.S. senatorTable of ContentsList of Illustrations Preface List of abbreviations 1. Rugged Times 2. The Clayton Grin 3. More Self-Help 4. Character Flaws 5. Free Farmers 6. Juicy Corn-Fed Nebraska Sirloin 7. Our Fellow Man 8. Macho Man of Trade 9. Saving a Major Industry 10. We Barely Survived 11. No Professional Machiavellian 12. A Second Chance 13. The World Will Thank You Acknowledgments Appendix A: Clayton Yeutter’s Final Résumé Appendix B: Yeutter’s Major Accomplishments, as He Saw Them A Note about the Yeutter Institute People Interviewed Notes Selected Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThe Presidents and the Pastime draws on Curt Smith’s extensive background as a former White House presidential speechwriter to chronicle the historic relationship between the “most American” sport—baseball—and the U.S. presidency. Smith, who USA Today has called “America’s voice of authority on baseball broadcasting,” begins before America’s birth, when would-be presidents played baseball antecedents. He charts how baseball cemented its reputation as America’s pastime in the nineteenth century. Smith tracks every U.S. president from Theodore Roosevelt to Joe Biden, each chapter filled with anecdotes: Woodrow Wilson, buoyed by baseball after suffering disability; a heroic Franklin Roosevelt, saving baseball in World War II; Jimmy Carter, taught the game by his mother, Lillian; and George H. W. Bush, who explained, “Baseball has everything.”The Presidents and the Pastime p

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Book SynopsisThe statesman and political philosopher Edmund Burke (17291797) is a touchstone for modern conservatism in the United States, and his name and his writings have been invoked by figures ranging from the arch Federalist George Cabot to the twentieth-century political philosopher Leo Strauss. But Burke's legacy has neither been consistently associated with conservative thought nor has the richness and subtlety of his political vision been fully appreciated by either his American admirers or detractors. In Edmund Burke in America, Drew Maciag traces Burke's reception and reputation in the United States, from the contest of ideas between Burke and Thomas Paine in the Revolutionary period, to the Progressive Era (when Republicans and Democrats alike invoked Burke's wisdom), to his apotheosis within the modern conservative movement.Throughout, Maciag is sensitive to the relationship between American opinions about Burke and the changing circumstances of American life. The dynTrade ReviewAmerican conservatives celebrate Edmund Burke, but according to historian Drew Maciag, the British philosopher-politician might be uncomfortable with the company he's posthumously been keeping.... Maciag finds Burke far more advanced in his thinking than previously credited. -- David Luhrssen * Shepherd Express *In his engaging if somewhat ironic book, Maciag surveys the fall and rise of Burke's influence in America, beginning with the post-Revolutionary era.... The point is less to provide an exhaustive monograph tracing and assessing the ways in which Americans engaged with Burke than to illustrate how different evocations of his writings reflect major aspects of American culture. -- Jack Rakove * New England Quarterly *Maciag highlights persuasively three post-Second World War intellectual currents which brought Edmund Burke's political thought to the fore of conservatism.... In summary, Maciag identifies seven elements in Burke's thought that made him attractive to American conservatives. * Canadian Journal of Political Science *Table of ContentsIntroduction: In Search of Icons1. Burke in Brief: A "Philosophical" PrimerPart I: Early America2. Old Seeds, New Soil: The Land of Paine3. Federalist Persuasions: John and J. Q. Adams4. Democratic America: The Ethos of Liberalism5. American Whigs: A Conservative ResponsePart II: Transition to Modern America6. The Gilded Age: Eclectic Interpretations7. Theodore Roosevelt: Blazing Forward, Looking Backward8. Woodrow Wilson: Confronting American MaturityPart III: Postwar America9. Modern Times: Conjunctions and Consensus10. Natural Law: A Neo-traditionalist Revival11. The Cold War: Existential Threat Redux12. Contemporary Conservatives: Victories and IllusionsConclusion: A World without FathersNotes Index

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Book SynopsisIn a speech delivered in Japanese at Cornell University, Naoto Kan describes the harrowing days after a cataclysmic earthquake and tsunami led to the meltdown of three reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. In vivid language, he tells how he struggled with the possibility that tens of millions of people would need to be evacuated.Cornell Global Perspectives is an imprint of Cornell University's Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies. The works examine critical global challenges, often from an interdisciplinary perspective, and are intended for a non-specialist audience. The Distinguished Speaker series presents edited transcripts of talks delivered at Cornell, both in the original language and in translation.

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewA thorough, persuasive, insightful study of Obama's life and political achievements. * Kirkus Reviews *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Roots 2. From Organizer to Politician 3. The Presidential Run and the Earthquake of Iowa 4. From Iowa to President-Elect 5. Landmark Achievement: The Affordable Care Act 6. Quest for a Common Purpose 7. The Comeback President 8. Dysfunctional Government 9. A Second Recovery 10. The Shock of Donald J. Trump's Election 11. The Postpresidency

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Book SynopsisTrumpism has not only ushered in a new political regime, but also a new regime of language—one that cries out for intelligent and informed analysis. When Words Trump Politics takes insights from linguistic anthropology and related fields to decode, understand, and ultimately provide non-expert readers with easily digestible tools to resist the politics of division and hate. Adam Hodges's short essays address Trump's Twitter insults, racism and white nationalism, "truthiness" and "alternative facts," #FakeNews and conspiracy theories, Supreme Court politics and #MeToo, Islamophobia, political theater, and many other timely and controversial discussions. Hodges breaks down the specific linguistic techniques and processes that make Trump's rhetoric successful in our contemporary political landscape. He identifies the language ideologies, word choices, and recurring metaphors that underlie Trumpian rhetoric. Trumpian discourse works in tandem with media discourse—Hodges shows how Trump often induces journalists and social media agents to recycle and strengthen his spectacular and misleading claims. Those who study democracy have long emphasized the need for an informed electorate. But being informed on political issues also demands a keen understanding of the way language is used to convey, discuss, debate, and contest those issues. When Words Trump Politics analyzes the political rhetoric of today. The actionable insights in this book give journalists, politicians, and all Americans the successful tools they need to respond to the politics of hate. When Words Trump Politics is an essential resource for political resistance, for anyone who cares about freeing democracy from the spell of demagoguery.Trade Review"This is no ordinary time for language and politics, but Adam Hodges successfully marshals his considerable expertise in linguistic anthropology to bring insight into a political discourse that is often presented by journalists and pundits without this useful framework. Trumpian discourse is overrepresented and yet underanalyzed, and this book highlights the special need to attend to the subversive, anti-democratic use of language Trump has modeled."—Paul V. Kroskrity, University of California, Los Angeles"When Words Trump Politics is a thoroughly insightful account of the president's rhetorical collusion with the dark strains of American public life—its racism, hypernationalism, xenophobia—and his systematic obstructions of truth. When the histories of the political language of this era are written, Hodges' book will be a seminal point of reference."—Geoff Nunberg, University of California, Berkeley"Hodges' book brings together many valuable insights from linguistics and philosophy, offering a quick and rewarding read. Highly recommended!"—David Lanius, Journal of Language and Politics

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Book SynopsisThe ascendance of austerity policies and the protests they have generated have had a deep impact on the shape of contemporary politics. The stunning electoral successes of SYRIZA in Greece, Podemos in Spain and the Movimento 5 Stelle (M5S) in Italy, alongside the quest for a more radical left in countries such as the UK and the US, bear witness to a new wave of parties that draws inspiration and strength from social movements. The rise of movement parties challenges simplistic expectations of a growing separation between institutional and contentious politics and the decline of the left. Their return demands attention as a way of understanding both contemporary socio-political dynamics and the fundamentals of political parties and representation. Bridging social movement and party politics studies, within a broad concern with democratic theories, this volume presents new empirical evidence and conceptual insight into these topical socio-political phenomena, within a cross-national comparative perspective.Trade Review"Austerity policies in Europe have done little to ignite economic growth but have created a firestorm in politics. The volume's expert analysis of the new anti-austerity social movements and political parties makes major theoretical contributions in movement dynamics, as well as illuminating current politics."—Jack A. Goldstone, Schar School of Policy and Government, George Mason University "The relationship between parties and social movements has always been difficult. The recent domination of neoliberalism and austerity have changed that: a marriage of convenience has become a love affair. The future of the Left depends on the permanence and length of this relationship. This definitive study will become the standard reference in the academic literature and will help party members and militants to understand and strengthen links with each other. In this sense, the volume is a first - both as a scientific achievement and as a guide to action." —Costas Douzinas, University of London and Member for Pireas, Hellenic Parliament "The authors develop strong historical and theoretical foundations for empirical comparisons of three important protest parties [...], developing both the cases and larger issues in the study of protest parties. [...] The analysis and comparisons offered […] are well informed and sharp [...]. I am grateful for the provocation to think critically about the development of a dramatic and inspiring campaign against inequality in Europe and around the world."—David S. Meyer, American Journal of Sociology "A clear and focused analysis of contemporary processes of political contention in Southern Europe, illustrating how movement parties were able to channel popular discontent into political realignments. The work makes an immediate contribution to social movement theory and makes suggestive reading in the contemporary political context, where 'populist' challenges from both the right and left are shaking up established political patterns across the world."—Contemporary Sociology "A rich and detailed analysis of three movement parties – Syriza, Podemos and M5S. […] The book's analysis is important for social and political activists. It is also valuable to theorists of radical politics and democracy and relevant for contemporary debates among post-Marxists."—Contemporary Political Theory "This book bridges two subfields (social movements and political parties) that have increasingly distanced themselves from one another. This is perhaps the biggest contribution of the study."—European Political Science "Della Porta et al's study demonstrates well how breaks in political organisation are generated partly by social movements, but also how the trajectories of existing political parties are a crucial element in shaping political developments."—Interface: a journal for and about social movements "[A remarkable study] of political expression in the current neoliberal juncture [...] useful [...] for all students and researchers in the social sciences wishing to understand the current context and the development of protest politics in times of austerity and economic crisis."—Acta SociologicaTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Chapter 1. Movement Parties in Times of (Anti)Austerity: An Introduction Chapter 2. The Genesis of Movement Parties in the Neoliberal Critical Juncture Chapter 3. Organizational Repertoires of Movement Parties Chapter 4. Framing Movement Parties Chapter 5. Comparing Movement Parties’ Success and Failures Chapter 6. Movement Parties: Some Conclusions Appendix: List of Interviews Notes References

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Book SynopsisThe Communist Party of China (CPC) is one of the great political forces of modern times. In charge of the destiny of a fifth of humanity, it survives despite the collapse of similar systems elsewhere. Few, however, understand the sources of this resilience, or, for that matter, what the Party itself stands for. China’s Dream is the first book to explore the Communist Party as a cultural, rather than a political, entity. It looks at the narratives the Party has created to recount its own history, with the moral story about national rejuvenation and renaissance that these encode. It does not shy away from the thorny issue of how a Party under Mao Zedong, one associated with self-sacrifice, collectivist effort, and anti-individualism, came to pragmatically embrace market capitalism and a new ethics. The tensions to which this gives rise have resulted in a crisis of values, which is now being addressed – with very mixed results – by the CPC. Drawing on his extensive knowledge of contemporary China, Kerry Brown takes us on a unique and fascinating journey through the least understood aspect of China today – not the great economic revolution in the material world, but the deep cultural revolution already underway in Chinese people’s daily lives.Trade Review"Kerry Brown uncovers the moral mission behind the imposing language of the Communist Party of China, opening the door to understanding just what Xi Jinping and his colleagues think they are doing. It is, indeed, a revival of Maoist politics, but not of the Cultural Revolution variety. It's a brave new world that will be with us for many years and Brown provides a clear and concise guide to it."—Timothy Cheek, Institute of Asian Research, University of British Columbia "Kerry Brown has provided a readable, authoritative guide to understanding how the Communist Party of China is forging a new identity for itself and the country. Eschewing simplistic explanations, he shows how the Party has successfully tapped into a broader search for values and morality, helping to give it more legitimacy--and power--than many observers thought possible just a few years ago. Strongly recommended for anyone interested in the corporate culture of what makes China's ruling party tick."—Ian Johnson, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Souls of China: The Return of Religion After Mao "A fascinating book."—Martin Wolf, Financial Times "An ambitious and successful attempt to unearth the cultural, moral and historical influences that underpin the thinking and actions of the CCP, both today and during China’s recent past. This book questions many long-held and narrow assumptions about the role the ruling party in China. Highly recommended to students of Chinese politics and specialists in the field."—Robert Weatherley, University of CambridgeTable of ContentsChronology vi Abbreviations viii Preface ix Acknowledgements xi About the Author xii Introduction 1 1 Redemption from the Dark Past 21 2 Winning the Historic Mission: The Party under Xi 41 3 Being a Good Chinese Communist: The Search for a Moral Narrative in Xi's China 53 4 Back to Basics: The Roots of the Party's Moral Crisis 68 5 The Drama of Ideas: The Party and Ideology 103 6 The Ideological Fightback under Xi 121 7 The Aesthetics of the Party 140 Conclusion: The Party's Great Historic Mission 165 Notes 171 Suggested Readings 183 Index 189

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Book SynopsisThe Communist Party of China (CPC) is one of the great political forces of modern times. In charge of the destiny of a fifth of humanity, it survives despite the collapse of similar systems elsewhere. Few, however, understand the sources of this resilience, or, for that matter, what the Party itself stands for. China’s Dream is the first book to explore the Communist Party as a cultural, rather than a political, entity. It looks at the narratives the Party has created to recount its own history, with the moral story about national rejuvenation and renaissance that these encode. It does not shy away from the thorny issue of how a Party under Mao Zedong, one associated with self-sacrifice, collectivist effort, and anti-individualism, came to pragmatically embrace market capitalism and a new ethics. The tensions to which this gives rise have resulted in a crisis of values, which is now being addressed – with very mixed results – by the CPC. Drawing on his extensive knowledge of contemporary China, Kerry Brown takes us on a unique and fascinating journey through the least understood aspect of China today – not the great economic revolution in the material world, but the deep cultural revolution already underway in Chinese people’s daily lives.Trade Review"Kerry Brown uncovers the moral mission behind the imposing language of the Communist Party of China, opening the door to understanding just what Xi Jinping and his colleagues think they are doing. It is, indeed, a revival of Maoist politics, but not of the Cultural Revolution variety. It's a brave new world that will be with us for many years and Brown provides a clear and concise guide to it."—Timothy Cheek, Institute of Asian Research, University of British Columbia "Kerry Brown has provided a readable, authoritative guide to understanding how the Communist Party of China is forging a new identity for itself and the country. Eschewing simplistic explanations, he shows how the Party has successfully tapped into a broader search for values and morality, helping to give it more legitimacy--and power--than many observers thought possible just a few years ago. Strongly recommended for anyone interested in the corporate culture of what makes China's ruling party tick."—Ian Johnson, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Souls of China: The Return of Religion After Mao "A fascinating book."—Martin Wolf, Financial Times "An ambitious and successful attempt to unearth the cultural, moral and historical influences that underpin the thinking and actions of the CCP, both today and during China’s recent past. This book questions many long-held and narrow assumptions about the role the ruling party in China. Highly recommended to students of Chinese politics and specialists in the field."—Robert Weatherley, University of CambridgeTable of ContentsChronology vi Abbreviations viii Preface ix Acknowledgements xi About the Author xii Introduction 1 1 Redemption from the Dark Past 21 2 Winning the Historic Mission: The Party under Xi 41 3 Being a Good Chinese Communist: The Search for a Moral Narrative in Xi's China 53 4 Back to Basics: The Roots of the Party's Moral Crisis 68 5 The Drama of Ideas: The Party and Ideology 103 6 The Ideological Fightback under Xi 121 7 The Aesthetics of the Party 140 Conclusion: The Party's Great Historic Mission 165 Notes 171 Suggested Readings 183 Index 189

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Book SynopsisThis book is a volume in the Penn Press Anniversary Collection. To mark its 125th anniversary in 2015, the University of Pennsylvania Press rereleased more than 1,100 titles from Penn Press's distinguished backlist from 1899-1999 that had fallen out of print. Spanning an entire century, the Anniversary Collection offers peer-reviewed scholarship in a wide range of subject areas.

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Book SynopsisThis is the biography of a nineteenth-century gentleman whose career in the diplomatic service of his country contributed greatly to the worldwide expansion of American trade and commerce. John Randolph Clay (1808-1885), son of a Philadelphia Congressman, was named in honor of John Randolph, his father's friend and political associate, with whom he lived after his father's death. In 1830, John Randolph, appointed Minister to Russia, secured the appointment of Clay as Secretary of Legation. Randolph soon returned home, seriously ill, leaving Clay as Charge d'Affaires. Although youthful and inexperienced, Clay acquitted himself well, continuing in diplomatic posts in Russia and Austria for seventeen years. From 1847 to 1860, Clay was the diplomatic representative of the United States in Peru. He worked tirelessly, whether applying pressure for the payment of claims, protecting the business and personal interests of Americans, or insisting on the rights of our citizens to participate in the guano trade. He negotiated treaties of commerce, maritime rights, and whaling rights with the Peruvian government. His greatest triumph came in avoiding a rupture with Peru at the time of the Lobos Islands controversy. During the thirty years in which he served his country in foreign lands, Clay saw the coming of the steamship, the railroad, and the telegraph. He met or was on terms of personal friendship with many of the great men of the age: Prince Metternich, Louis Phillipe, Count Nesselrode, and the Peruvian dictator-president Castilla. He was equally at ease amid the splendors of court life in St. Petersburg or Vienna or in the shabby palace of the Peruvian president in the ancient city of Lima. His story, fascinating in itself, is also the story of the growth of the United States diplomatic service.Table of ContentsThe Clays of Philadelphia Virginia The Mission to Russia, 1830 James Buchanan and the Commercial Treaty Diplomatic Courier, 1832-1833 Personal and Public Affairs in Russia, 1833-1837 Homecoming, 1837; Return to Diplomacy, 1838 The Tobacco Mission to Austria Vienna: Happiness and Tragedy, 1838-1840 Politics and Frustration, 1840-1845 Russian Interlude, 1845-1847 Peruvian Journey Debt Collector Extraordinary Guano Diplomacy Treaty of Friendship, Commerce, and Navigation The Lobos Islands Controversy Back Door to the Amazon The Pelican War and Its Aftermath Matters Personal and Political Clay as a Treaty Maker Claims, Counter Claims, and Revolution Mounting Claims and Controversies, 1856-1860 Winter in Washington, 1860-1885 Clay in Retirement, 1861-1885 John Randolph Clay: An Appraisal Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThis book traces the economic ideology of the UK Labour Party from its origins to the current day. Through its analysis, the book emphasises key crises, including the 1926 General Strike, the 1931 Great Depression, the 1979 Winter of Discontent and the 2007/2008 economic crisis. In analysing this history, the ideology of the Labour Party is examined through four core themes: • the party’s definition of socialism; • the role of the state in economic decision making; • the party’s understanding of inequalities; and • its relationship with the trade union movement. The result is a systematic exploration of the drivers and key ideas behind the Labour Party’s economic ideology. In demonstrating how crises have affected the party’s economic policy, the book presents a historical analysis of the party’s evolution since its formation and offers insights into how future changes may occur.Table of ContentsChapter 1: Introduction: The Labour Party’s Economic Policy and Crises Chapter 2: Taff Vale and the First World War Chapter 3: Governing in Hard Times: The Second Labour Government and Need for a Coherent Economic Policy Chapter 4: The Second World War, Reconstruction and Revisionism Chapter 5: Testing the Labour–Unions Relationship Chapter 6: The Advent of New Labour Chapter 7: New Labour and the Global Financial Crisis Chapter 8: Electoral Revision Chapter 9: Conclusion

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Book SynopsisThis book traces the economic ideology of the UK Labour Party from its origins to the current day. Through its analysis, the book emphasises key crises, including the 1926 General Strike, the 1931 Great Depression, the 1979 Winter of Discontent and the 2007/2008 economic crisis. In analysing this history, the ideology of the Labour Party is examined through four core themes: • the party’s definition of socialism; • the role of the state in economic decision making; • the party’s understanding of inequalities; and • its relationship with the trade union movement. The result is a systematic exploration of the drivers and key ideas behind the Labour Party’s economic ideology. In demonstrating how crises have affected the party’s economic policy, the book presents a historical analysis of the party’s evolution since its formation and offers insights into how future changes may occur.Table of ContentsChapter 1: Introduction: The Labour Party’s Economic Policy and Crises Chapter 2: Taff Vale and the First World War Chapter 3: Governing in Hard Times: The Second Labour Government and Need for a Coherent Economic Policy Chapter 4: The Second World War, Reconstruction and Revisionism Chapter 5: Testing the Labour–Unions Relationship Chapter 6: The Advent of New Labour Chapter 7: New Labour and the Global Financial Crisis Chapter 8: Electoral Revision Chapter 9: Conclusion

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Book SynopsisExploring unique survey and interview data on the personality characteristics of British politicians, this book provides a timely psychological analysis of those individuals who pursue political careers and how they represent their constituents once elected. Focusing specifically on the Basic Human Values of more than 150 MPs as well as hundreds of local councillors, Weinberg offers original insights into three compelling questions: Who enters politics and how are they different to the general public? Do politicians’ personality characteristics matter for their legislative behaviour? Do voters really get the ‘wrong’ politicians? Taking a fresh psychological approach to issues that are predominant in political science, this book casts new light on the human side of representative democracy.Table of ContentsWhy Do We Hate Politicians? Psychological Scrutiny: Who Enters Politics and Why? All the Same! Demographic Homogeneity and Careerism Basic Values and Partisanship Parliamentary Behaviour: Personal Choices, Political Results Perfect Politicians? Voting Preferences in the United Kingdom

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Book SynopsisThis major new study examines the nature of Chinese power and its impact on the international order. Drawing on an extensive range of Chinese-language debates and discussions, the book explains the roles of different actors and interests in Chinese international interactions, and how they influence the nature of Chinese strategies for global change. It also gives a unique perspective on how assessments of the consequences of China’s rise are formed, and how and why these understandings change. Providing an important challenge to scholars and policy makers who seek to engage with China, the book demonstrates just how far starting assumptions can influence the questions asked, evidence sought and conclusions reached.Table of ContentsIntroduction Studying China’s Rise Interest, Actors and Intent: Studying the Global by Understanding the Domestic Chinese (Grand) Strategies for (Global) Change Markets, Technology and Finance: Turning Resources into Power Ideas, Voice and Attraction Normative Power? China Solutions for the World Conclusion

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Book SynopsisThis major new study examines the nature of Chinese power and its impact on the international order. Drawing on an extensive range of Chinese-language debates and discussions, the book explains the roles of different actors and interests in Chinese international interactions, and how they influence the nature of Chinese strategies for global change. It also gives a unique perspective on how assessments of the consequences of China’s rise are formed, and how and why these understandings change. Providing an important challenge to scholars and policy makers who seek to engage with China, the book demonstrates just how far starting assumptions can influence the questions asked, evidence sought and conclusions reached.Table of ContentsIntroduction Studying China’s Rise Interest, Actors and Intent: Studying the Global by Understanding the Domestic Chinese (Grand) Strategies for (Global) Change Markets, Technology and Finance: Turning Resources into Power Ideas, Voice and Attraction Normative Power? China Solutions for the World Conclusion

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Book SynopsisWhen Emmanuel Macron was elected President of the French Republic, it ended the long-standing political alternation between the mainstream right- and left-wing parties. This book examines Macron’s political career from his rise as a public figure to his time as a president. The book explores Macron’s political ideology and examines the enactment of the key notions of security, merit and hope during his time in office. By offering a close study of his actions and ideological commitment, this book argues that, despite claims of being ideologically neutral, Macron actually represents a new form of right-wing politics in France.Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. A New Régime 2. Security 3. Merit 4. Hope Conclusion

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Book SynopsisThe twelve essays in this book, some published for the first time, represent some of Tony Badger's best work in his ongoing examination of how white liberal southern politicians who came to prominence in the New Deal and World War II handled the race issue when it became central to politics in the 1950s and 1960s. Franklin Roosevelt in the 1930s thought a new generation of southerners would wrestle Congress back from the conservatives. Political scientists such as V. O. Key Jr. thought the collapse of segregation would herald a new liberal class in the South. The Supreme Court thought that responsible southern leaders would lead their communities to general school desegregation after the Brown decision. John F. Kennedy believed that moderate southern leaders would, with government support, facilitate peaceful racial change. Badger's writings demonstrate how all of these hopes were misplaced. Badger shows that time and time again that moderates did not control southern politics. Southern liberal politicians for the most part were paralyzed by their fear that ordinary southerners were all-too-aroused by the threat of integration and were reluctant to offer a coherent alternative to the conservative strategy of resistance. Indeed, liberal politicians became irrelevant in the 1960s as African Americans and the federal government dictated the timetable of racial change. It was southern business leaders and a new generation of New South politicians who mediated the transition to desegregation.Trade ReviewThis book promises to inform and enlighten in a multitude of ways, not the least of them being the insights it offers into the progression of an exceptionally talented historian's interests and awareness as Tony shares his professional and personal odyssey from New Deal historian to southern historian." —from the foreword by James C. Cobb

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Book SynopsisThis book analyzes Thomas Jefferson's conception of American nationhood in light of the political and social demands facing the post-Revolutionary Republic in its formative years.Trade ReviewJeffersonian America represents political history at its very best. It is no mere catalog of elections and partisan struggles but a history that explains the underlying structure of politics and uses that explanation to illuminate the history of the period." Jan Lewis, Rutgers University at Newark. "In this well crafted and knowledgeable book, Onuf and Sadosky offer us a splendid lens through which to view Jefferson and the early republic. We thereby gain a greater insight into the origins of American political culture." Paul A. Gilje, University of Oklahoma. "Onuf and Sadowski ... examine family structure and the structure of local government, political economy and race, and federalism and diplomacy, providing a deft analysis of Jefferson's conception of nationhood during the country's formative years." Choice "The book's ideological, synthetic and integrative approach emphasizes the themes of contingency and even anxiety in the life of the new nation, which the authors would contend was elided by previous generations of historiographical simplification and overspeculation. Indeed this volume significantly clarifies our understanding of the persistent orientation of the young United States towards the western frontier and the Atlantic world." Johnathan o'Neill, University of LondonTable of ContentsAcknowledgments. Introduction. 1. The Republican Revolution. 2. Little Republics. 3. Pursuits of Happiness. 4. Federal Republic and Extended Union. Further Reading. Index.

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Book SynopsisAn outspoken abolitionist, a founder of the Free Soil and Republican parties, and a leading member of the U.S. Senate for more than twenty years, Charles Sumner (1811-1874) has always figured prominently in histories of the American Civil War. For the most part, however, he has been depicted as a psychologically troubled extremist, a fanatical opponent of slavery whose self-righteousness was matched only by his arrogance. In this book, Anne-Marie Taylor challenges that longstanding view, offering in its stead the portrait of a man animated more by principle than by impulse or ambition. According to Taylor, Sumner's reform-minded politics, including his fervent commitment to put an end to slavery, must be understood in the context of a young nation still struggling to live up to the Enlightenment ideals embraced by its founders and embodied in its Constitution. Focusing on the first forty years of Sumner's life, before he took public office, Taylor traces the evolution of his character and thought among Boston's cultural elite. His belief in the virtues of cosmopolitanism, in the dignity of the human intellect and conscience, and in the possibility of a cultivated and just society, all find their roots in an education steeped in Enlightenment principles. At the same time, as a child of New England Puritanism and Revolutionary republicanism, Sumner was raised to believe in the moral obligation of the individual to work for the common good. As Taylor shows in this well-written biography, much of the triumph and tragedy of Sumner's story - the energy of his idealism as well as the poignancy of his eventual disappointment - derives from the overpowering sense of duty and national destiny imbued by his upbringing.Trade ReviewAs engaging a biography as I have read in a long time, impeccably researched and beautifully rendered. Taylor's scholarly intelligence proves consistently deep and broad-ranging as she knits together the many diverse strands of influence and experience that contributed to the shaping of the mature Charles Sumner. - James Brewer Stewart, author of Wendell Phillips: Liberty's Hero ""This extremely well-written and deeply researched book offers a fresh and compelling interpretation of a figure who has previously been depicted largely in caricature....Above all, the author effectively shows how Sumner's moral absolutism coexisted with a profound political pragmatism."" - Steven Mintz, author of Moralists and Modernizers: America's Pre-Civil War Reformers

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Book SynopsisFirst treatment of a conspicuously East German feature in today's German literature, that of autobiographical writing -- and rewriting. A striking feature of today's German literature is the survival of an East German subculture characterized by its authors' self-reflexive concern with their own lives, not only in texts labeled as autobiography but also those in the more ambiguous territory of what Christa Wolf has called "subjective authenticity." Dennis Tate provides the first detailed account of this phenomenon: its origins in the 1930s' exile debates, its evolution during the GDR's lifespan, and its manifestations in the work of five East German authors still widely read today: Brigitte Reimann, Franz Fühmann, Stefan Heym, Günter de Bruyn, and Christa Wolf. Tate shows how the preoccupation with self arose fromthe unusually turbulent circumstances in which this generation has lived. Having succumbed early to the temptation to simplify their life stories for misguided educational purposes, these authors have repeatedly reconstructed their personal and political identities as their perspectives on the past have shifted. Tate shows the importance of viewing their autobiographical writing as a multilayered historical process, exposing problems with canonical accounts of East German literature and enabling texts published under GDR censorship to be properly appreciated for the first time. Dennis Tate is Professor of German Studies at the University of Bath, UK.Trade ReviewA valuable addition to the growing number of studies engaged in rethinking East German literary history and reassessing the categories with which that literature is read. * MONATSHEFTE *Tate focuses on ... prose works that combine self-reflexive narrative and autobiographical subject matter. ... His highly original study shows how this particular form of prose writing became a vehicle for each writer's self-exploration and self-protection, a creative response to the various forms of political turbulence each experienced before and after the end of the GDR. * CHOICE *The study reveals profound knowledge of the topic and will enrich in significant areas our understanding of East German literature, especially after 1990. Because it is written with wit and courage and opens new avenues in GDR literature, it will provoke discussion if the study receives the attention it deserves. * DEUTSCHLAND ARCHIV *This thoroughly researched monograph arrives at a very convincing reassessment of [the] development in East German literature from stereotypical socialist realist autobiographical writing to modernist multi-layered narratives. It can be recommended as a significant and stimulating contribution to scholarship on the autobiographical genre in particular and on GDR and postunification German literature in general. * GLOSSEN *[Offers] a contribution to the collective biography of the GDR's second generation.. This literary generation, which Tate sees exemplified by Christa Wolf, faced the task of accounting for what Franz Fühmann famously described as the path to socialism via Auschwitz. Represented by Wolf, Fühmann, Brigitte Reimann, and others, this generation is largely responsible for the dynamic reception of East German literature in the west. * GERMAN STUDIES REVIEW *In its detailed interpretation of primary texts, archival sources and cultural-political contexts, Tate's study is never anything less than utterly authoritative and persuasive, and that in a style which is always fluent and engaging. Through its rare combination of academic rigour and genuine critical sympathy Tate's book seems certain to become a standard work on East German life writing. * JOURNAL OF EUROPEAN STUDIES *Table of ContentsIntroduction: East German Autobiographical Prose: Challenging Conventional Genre Distinctions Autobiographical Writing in the East German Context and Beyond Brigitte Reimann: The Constraints of First-Person Fiction Franz Fühmann: The Deconstruction of an "Exemplary" Biography Stefan Heym: Strategies of Self-Concealment in Fictional and Autobiographical Mode Günter de Bruyn: From the "Lies" of Fiction to the "Truth" of Autobiography? Christa Wolf: "Subjective Authenticity" in Practice: An Evolving Autobiographical Project Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisFew figures in American political history are as reviled as Andrew Johnson, the seventeenth president of the United States. Taking office after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, he clashed constantly with Congress during the tumultuous early years of Reconstruction. He opposed federally-mandated black suffrage and the Fourteenth Amendment and vetoed the Freedmen’s Bureau and Civil Rights bills. In this new book, Paul H. Bergeron, a respected Johnson scholar, brings a new perspective on this often vilified figure. Previous books have judged Johnson out of the context of his times or through a partisan lens. But this volume—based on Bergeron’s work as the editor of The Papers of Andrew Johnson—takes a more balanced approach to Johnson and his career. Admiring Johnson's unswerving devotion to the Union, Lincoln appointed him as military governor of Tennessee, a post, Bergeron argues, that enhanced Johnson's executive experience and his national stature. While governor, Johnson implemented the emancipation of slaves in the state and laid the foundation for a new civilian government. Bergeron also notes that Johnson developed a close connection with the president which eventually resulted in his vice-presidential candidacy. In many respects, therefore, Johnson's Civil War years served as preparation for his presidency.Bergeron moves beyond simplistic arguments based on Johnson’s racism to place his presidency within the politics of the day. Putting aside earlier analyses of the conflict between Johnson and the Republican Radicals as ideological disputes, Bergeron discusses these battles as a political power struggle. In doing so, he does not deny Johnson’s racism but provides a more nuanced and effective perspective on the issues as Johnson tried to pursue the “politics of the possible.”Bergeron interprets Johnson as a strong-willed, decisive, fearless, authoritarian leader in the tradition of Andrew Jackson. While never excusing Johnson’s inflexibility and extreme racism, Bergeron makes the case that, in proper context, Johnson can be seen at times as a surprisingly effective commander-in-chief—one whose approach to the problems of reestablishing the Union was defensible and consistent.With its fresh insight on the man and his times, Andrew Johnson’s Civil War and Reconstruction is indispensable reading for students and scholars of the U.S. presidency and the Civil War and Reconstruction periods.Trade Review“This is an excellent political history and analysis of Johnson’s career between 1861 and 1869.” — Kenneth D. Williams, Civil War NewsFull review: http://www.civilwarnews.com/reviews/2011br/sept/johnson-bergeron-b091120.html “Bergeron has written a very original book quite unlike any modern study of Johnson. Bound to create quite a bit of controversy among scholars and Civil War enthusiasts, Bergeron seeks to provide a balanced analysis of this much-vilified figure.” —John David Smith, Charles H. Stone Distinguished Professor of American History, UNC Charlotte “This book serves as a much-needed reflection on the most recent scholarship on Andrew Johnson and provides the perspective of a historian who has a justifiable claim to be the most prominent expert on Johnson. Bergeron moves beyond simplistic arguments based on Johnson’s racism to place his presidency within the politics of the period. He provides a more complex, and effective, perspective on the issues as Johnson tried to pursue the ‘politics of the possible.’” —Richard B. McCaslin, author of Andrew Johnson: A Bibliography

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Book SynopsisAn analysis of the congressional career of Barber B. Conable, Jr., one of the most-respected legislators of modern times. Barber B. Conable Jr. served as a Republican congressman from western New York from 1965 to 1985. He is recognized as one of the most respected members of the House of Representatives in recent years. This biography explores his twenty-year congressional career, focusing on his remarkable educational abilities as a gifted teacher-legislator. Using excerpts from Conable's private journal, his newsletters and news columns, and from personal interviews, JamesS. Fleming has crafted a book that enables readers to appreciate why Conable was held in high regard by his constituents, his colleagues, the press, and congressional scholars. Political scientist Charles O. Jones expressed the opinion of many when he observed that "Barber Conable was just about everybody's idea of what a congressman should be." Recognizing the importance of Conable's western New York heritage, James Fleming traces Conable's story from his childhood in Warsaw, New York, to his election to the historic Eighty-ninth Congress of 1965-1966. Fleming's chronicle of Conable's subsequent legislative career offers a window on Congress and on an historic period in American history. As the fourth-ranking Republican leader in the House, Conable played a critical role in the Watergate investigation that led to the resignation of President Richard M. Nixon. As the ranking Republican leader of the Ways and Means Committee, he was a key contributor to the tax legislation passed during the Ford, Carter, and Reagan administrations. The highlight of his legislative career was his crucial work in solving the 1983 Social Securitycrisis. Fleming concludes the biography with a look at Conable's service as World Bank President and his retirement to his beloved western New York home. In his foreword the renowned congressional scholar, Richard F. Fenno Jr. writes, "Barber Conable was an especially admirable United States Representative; and Jim Fleming has written an especially admirable congressional biography. This book is, therefore, a special gift."Trade ReviewWith his fascinating portrait of one of the ablest legislators on Capitol Hill, Barber Conable of New York, James Fleming has illuminated our understanding of the crucial role of Congress in shaping national policy. -- -- John Brademas, President Emeritus, New York University; Member of Congress Dem-Ind., 1959-1981Barber Conable is one of those rare politicians worthy of a book-length biography by an expert in his field. And Professor Fleming's biography is worthy of Barber Conable. -- -- Theodore J. Lowi, John L. Senior Professor of American Institutions, Cornell UniversityA great member of Congress has found a wonderful biographer. -- -- Burdett Loomis, Department of Political Science, University of KansasTable of ContentsIntroduction Roots in Western New York Becoming a Lawyer and Politician Mr. Conable Goes to Albany A Freshman in the Eighty-Ninth Congress Appointment to the Ways and Means Committee Support for Richard Nixon The Watergate Betrayal Toughest Reelection A Friend in the White House Republican Leader of Ways and Means Cutting Taxes Saving Social Security Concluding a Congressional Career Life After Congress

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Book SynopsisI want to talk for a few minutes with the people of the United States... Thus began not only the first of Franklin Roosevelt's celebrated radio addresses, collectively called Fireside Chats, but also the birth of the media era of the rhetorical presidency. Humorist Will Rogers later said that the president took ""such a dry subject as banking and made everyone understand it, even the bankers."" Roosevelt also took a giant step toward restoring confidence in the nation's banks and, eventually, in its economy. Amos Kiewe tells the story of the First Fireside Chat, the context in which it was constructed, the events leading to the radio address, and the impact it had on the American people and the nation's economy. Roosevelt told America, ""The success of our whole national program depends, of course, on the cooperation of the public - on its intelligent support and its use of a reliable system."" Kiewe succinctly demonstrates how the rhetoric of the soon-to-be-famous First Fireside Chat laid the groundwork for that support and the recovery of American capitalism.

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Book SynopsisCulminating a decade of conferences that have explored presidential speech, ""The Prospect of Presidential Rhetoric"" assesses progress and suggests directions for both the practice of presidential speech and its study. In Part One, following an analytic review of the field by Martin Medhurst, contributors address the state of the art in their own areas of expertise. Roderick P. Hart then summarizes their work in the course of his rebuttal of an argument made by political scientist George Edwards: that presidential rhetoric lacks political impact. Part Two of the volume consists of the forward-looking reports of six task forces, comprising more than forty scholars, charged with outlining the likely future course of presidential rhetoric, as well as the major questions scholars should ask about it and the tools at their disposal. ""The Prospect of Presidential Rhetoric"" will serve as a pivotal work for students and scholars of public discourse and the presidency who seek to understand the shifting landscape of American political leadership.

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Book SynopsisThough Jimmy Carter is widely viewed as one of the least effective modern presidents, the human rights agenda for which his administration is known remains high in the national awareness and continues to provide important justifications for presidential and congressional action a quarter-century later. The very elements of Carter's communications on human rights that engendered obstacles to the formation of a coherent and consistent policy - the term's vagueness, the difficulties of applying it, its uneasy relationship with national security interests, and the divergence between Democratic and Republican understandings - allowed 'human rights' to become a useful rubric for presidents, both Democratic and Republican, who followed Carter. Stuckey discusses the key elements of how human rights came to the nation's attention.

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Book SynopsisNo modern president has had as much influence on American national politics as Franklin D. Roosevelt. During FDR’s administration, power shifted from states and localities to the federal government; within the federal government it shifted from Congress to the president; and internationally, it moved from Europe to the United States. All of these changes required significant effort on the part of the president, who triumphed over fierce opposition and succeeded in remaking the American political system in ways that continue to shape our politics today. Using the metaphor of the good neighbour, Mary E. Stuckey examines the persuasive work that took place to authorise these changes. Through the metaphor, FDR’s administration can be better understood: his emphasis on communal values; the importance of national mobilisation in domestic as well as foreign affairs in defence of those values; his use of what he considered a particularly democratic approach to public communication; his treatment of friends and his delineation of enemies; and finally, the ways in which he used this rhetoric to broaden his neighbourhood from the limits of the United States to encompass the entire world, laying the groundwork for American ideological dominance in the post–World War II era.

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Book SynopsisLeaders and followers live in a relational world—a world in which leadership occurs in complex webs of relationships and dynamically changing contexts. Despite this, our theories of leadership are grounded in assumptions of individuality and linear causality. If we are to advance understandings of leadership that have more relevance to the world of practice, we need to embed issues of relationality into leadership studies. This volume addresses this issue by bringing together, for the first time, a set of prominent scholars from different paradigmatic and disciplinary perspectives to engage in dialogue regarding how to meet the challenges of relationality in leadership research and practice. Included are cutting edge thinking, heated debate, and passionate perspectives on the issues at hand. The chapters reveal the varied and nuanced treatments of relationality that come from authors’ alternative paradigmatic (entity, constructionist, critical) views. Dialogue scholars—reacting to the chapters—engage in spirited debate regarding the commensurability (or incommensurability) of the paradigmatic approaches. The editors bring the dialogue together with introductory and concluding chapters that offer a framework for comparing and situating the competing assumptions and perspectives spanning the relational leadership landscape. Using paradigm interplay they unpack assumptions, and lay out a roadmap for relational leadership research. A key takeaway is that advancing relational leadership research requires multiple paradigmatic perspectives, and scholars who are conversant in the assumptions brought by these perspectives.The book is aimed at those who feel that much of current leadership thinking is missing the boat in today’s complex, relational world. It provides an essential resource for all leadership scholars and practitioners curious about the nature of research on leadership, both those with much research exposure and those new to the field.

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Book SynopsisThe 1960 West Virginia presidential primary is arguably the most storied contest in modern American politics. And yet John F. Kennedy traveled the path so quickly from dynamic presidential candidate to martyred national icon that many forget his debt to West Virginia in his quest for the Democratic presidential nomination. In The Primary That Made a President, author Robert O. Rupp returns to 1960 West Virginia, reviewing the momentous contest for signs of the political changes to come. Besides propelling Kennedy to the Democratic nomination, the West Virginia primary changed the face of politics by advancing religious tolerance, foreshadowing future political campaigns, influencing public policy, and drawing national attention to a misunderstood region. It meant the end of a taboo that kept the Catholic faith out of American politics; the rise of the primary as a political tool for garnering delegate support; the beginning of a nationwide confrontation with Appalachian stereotypes; and the seeds for what would become Kennedy’s War on Poverty. Rupp explores these themes and more to discuss how a small Appalachian state, overwhelmingly poor and Protestant, became a key player in the political future of John F. Kennedy.The first of its kind among Kennedy biographies or histories of the 1960 election, this book offers a sustained scholarly analysis of the 1960 West Virginia presidential primary and its far-reaching significance for the political climate in the US.

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Book SynopsisThe final volume of the Correspondence of James K. Polk documents the end of a presidency and the end of a life. With the Mexican War over, Polk focused on integrating new lands into the country, resolving discord over slavery, and planning for a retirement that proved all too short. His letters of April 1848 to June 1849 reveal his and his contemporaries’ thoughts on a nation racing from an international conflict toward a civil war.Having won half of Mexico’s land, Polk wanted to create territorial or state governments for New Mexico and California. He chafed under Congress’s inability to agree on whether to permit slavery there. Clashes in New Mexico, Oregon, and YucatÁn, meanwhile, involved Americans in further violence. Like many Americans, Polk welcomed the republican revolutions that swept Europe. But he soon learned that conservative armies were reversing those gains. From here at home, he received petitions by Native Americans to remedy ill treatment by an administration intent on their removal.Though he refused to seek reelection, Polk closely followed the presidential campaign of 1848. Stung by the victory of Zachary Taylor, one of his chief generals and now a leading Whig, he still happily left the White House for his retirement in Nashville. In his new mansion he hoped to rest and socialize while continuing to profit from the labor of slaves on his Mississippi plantation.His voyage home, alas, took Polk through a US entry point of a worldwide cholera pandemic. He arrived in Tennessee ill and died only three months after leaving office. Others were left to mourn the fifty-three-year-old, to assess his legacy, and to deal with the consequences of his actions.Right to the end, Polk corresponded with diverse men and women. This volume includes letters by future presidents, to a past first lady, and by the newly installed Vicaire of the German Empire. It includes letters by pro-annexation Cubans, to India’s poet laureate, and by a planter who would become one of the earliest female physicians. Presented here with full annotation, they illuminate politics, diplomacy, economy, and culture.This volume concludes a six-decade-long project to render accessible key primary sources in US history. From slave escapes to presidential lies and from gas lighting to temperance reform, the letters herein expose controversy and change at the end of one of America’s most consequential presidencies.

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Book SynopsisThis volume presents more than five hundred annotated original documents from Andrew Jackson’s sixth presidential year. They include his private memoranda, intimate family letters, official messages, and correspondence with government and military officers, diplomats, Indian leaders, political friends and foes, and plain citizens throughout the country.The year 1834 began with Jackson battling the United States Senate. Pursuing his campaign against the federally chartered Bank of the United States, Jackson in 1833 had installed Roger Taney as interim Treasury secretary to transfer the government’s deposits to selected state-chartered “pet” banks. The Bank retaliated by curtailing its business, setting off a commercial crisis and a political frenzy. In 1834 the Senate, controlled by the new opposition Whig Party led by Jackson’s old nemeses Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun, rejected a slew of Jackson’s nominees for office, including Taney, and adopted an unprecedented (and still unparalleled) resolution of censure against Jackson himself. Jackson returned a scathing protest, which the Senate rejected. Meanwhile the administration struggled to implement its “experiment” of conducting government finances through state banks.Throughout the year Jackson pursued his aim of compelling eastern Indians to remove west of the Mississippi. In May the Chickasaws signed a removal treaty. But brazen frauds complicated the administration’s scheme to induce individual Creeks to emigrate from Alabama, while the Cherokees, led by Principal Chief John Ross, stood fast in resistance. In June some unauthorized dissident Cherokees signed a removal treaty, but it died in the Senate.In 1834 Jackson continued his longstanding effort to pry the province of Texas loose from Mexico, while the U.S. hurtled toward confrontation with France over French failure to pay an indemnity due under an 1831 treaty. Other matters engaging Jackson included corruption scandals in the Post Office Department and at Mississippi land offices, fractious disputes over rank and seniority among Army and Navy officers, and a fire that gutted Jackson’s Hermitage home in Tennessee. Unfolding these stories and many more, this volume offers a revelatory window into Andrew Jackson, his presidency, and America itself in 1834.

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Book SynopsisWomen as Global Leaders is the second volume in the new Women and Leadership: Research, Theory, and Practice book series published for the International Leadership Association by IAP. Global leadership is an emerging area of research, with only a small but growing published literature base. More specifically, the topic of women’s advances and adventures in leading within the global context is barely covered in the existing leadership literature. Although few women are serving in global leadership roles in corporate and non-profit arenas, and as heads of nations, that number is growing (e.g., Indira Nooyi at PepsiCo, Sheryl Sandberg at Facebook, Marissa Mayer at Yahoo, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as president of Liberia, Angela Merkel as chancellor of Germany).The purpose of this volume is to provide the reader with current conceptualizations and theory related to women as global leaders, recent empirical investigations of the phenomenon, analysis of effective global leadership development programs, and portraits of women who lead, or have led, in a global role. The volume is divided into four sections. The first section covers the state of women as global leaders, containing chapters by Joyce Osland and Nancy Adler, pioneers in the field of global and/or women’s leadership. The second section describes approaches to women’s global leadership. The third section offers an analysis of programs that are useful in developing women as global leaders, with the final section profiling women as global leaders, including Margaret Thatcher, Nobel Laureate Malala Yousfazai, and Golda Meir. As Barbara Kellerman noted in the Foreword, “this book...should be understood as a collection whose time has come, precisely because women now have opportunities to lead that are far more expansive than they were even in the recent past. Though their numbers remain low, they are able in some cases to exercise leadership not only as outsiders, but also as insiders, from the very positions of power and authority to which men forever have had access.”

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Book SynopsisWomen as Global Leaders is the second volume in the new Women and Leadership: Research, Theory, and Practice book series published for the International Leadership Association by IAP. Global leadership is an emerging area of research, with only a small but growing published literature base. More specifically, the topic of women’s advances and adventures in leading within the global context is barely covered in the existing leadership literature. Although few women are serving in global leadership roles in corporate and non-profit arenas, and as heads of nations, that number is growing (e.g., Indira Nooyi at PepsiCo, Sheryl Sandberg at Facebook, Marissa Mayer at Yahoo, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as president of Liberia, Angela Merkel as chancellor of Germany).The purpose of this volume is to provide the reader with current conceptualizations and theory related to women as global leaders, recent empirical investigations of the phenomenon, analysis of effective global leadership development programs, and portraits of women who lead, or have led, in a global role. The volume is divided into four sections. The first section covers the state of women as global leaders, containing chapters by Joyce Osland and Nancy Adler, pioneers in the field of global and/or women’s leadership. The second section describes approaches to women’s global leadership. The third section offers an analysis of programs that are useful in developing women as global leaders, with the final section profiling women as global leaders, including Margaret Thatcher, Nobel Laureate Malala Yousfazai, and Golda Meir. As Barbara Kellerman noted in the Foreword, “this book...should be understood as a collection whose time has come, precisely because women now have opportunities to lead that are far more expansive than they were even in the recent past. Though their numbers remain low, they are able in some cases to exercise leadership not only as outsiders, but also as insiders, from the very positions of power and authority to which men forever have had access.”

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Book SynopsisIn the moments before his weekly radio address hit the airwaves in 1984, Ronald Reagan made an off-the-record joke: 'I've signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes.' As reports of the stunt leaked to the press, many Americans did not find themselves laughing along with the president. Long a fervent warrior against what he termed the 'Evil Empire,' by the mid-1980s, Reagan confronted growing domestic opposition to his revival of the Cold War. While numerous histories of the era have glorified the 'Decade of Greed,' historian Andrew Hunt instead explores the period's robust political and cultural dissent.We Begin Bombing in Five Minutes focuses on a striking array of protest movements that took up issues such as the nuclear arms race, U.S. intervention in Central America, and American investments in South Africa. Hunt's new history of the eighties investigates how film, television, and other facets of popular culture critiqued Washington's Cold War policies and reveals that activists and cultural rebels alike posed a more meaningful challenge to the Cold War's excesses than their predecessors in the McCarthy era.

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Book SynopsisThe New York Times chief television critic James Poniewozik traces the history of television and mass media from the early 1980s to today and demonstrates how a “volcanic, camera-hogging antihero” merged with America’s most powerful medium to become the forty-fifth president. He charts the seismic evolution of television from a monolithic mass medium of mainstream networks into today’s fractious media subculture. He then examines Donald Trump, who took advantage of these changes to reinvent himself: from boastful cartoon zillionaire; to 1990s self-parodic sitcom fixture; to The Apprentice-reality-TV star to Twitter-mad, culture-warring demagogue. A trenchant, often hilarious work, Audience of One provides an eye-opening history of American media and a reflection of a raucous, “gorillas-are always-fighting” culture.Trade Review"The Mueller Report of television criticism! James Poniewozik’s Audience of One is both damning and illuminating, a witty, penetrating exposé of Trump’s most intimate relationship, the one with the medium that made him." -- Emily Nussbaum, television critic for The New Yorker"With wit, insight, and clarity, James Poniewozik puts Trump at the center of a series of changes that swept through American popular culture and political systems. Poniewozik’s essential book shows how these evolutions incubated Trumpism, even as Trump’s rise exposed the limits and vulnerabilities of the media, which too often found itself floundering in the face of his shameless manipulations." -- Maureen Ryan, chief TV critic for Variety"Illuminating... Poniewozik is a funny, acerbic and observant writer… [He] uses his ample comedic gifts in the service of describing a slow-boil tragedy. If humor is the rocket of his ICBM, the last three years of our lives are the destructive payload... Poniewozik brings a new microscope with which to analyze the drug-resistant bacterium that is our president. Perhaps the greatest accomplishment of Audience of One is that it makes Trump's presidency seem almost inevitable." -- Gary Shteyngart - The New York Times Book Review

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Book SynopsisThe United States has invested hundreds of billions of dollars in the idea that state-building can make the world “safe for democracy” but the return on that investment has been woeful. Witnessing this failure, many observers hold the view that investment in undemocratic countries should halt. Yet ignoring these troubled countries risks our safety. Drawing on his formidable foreign policy experience, Steve Krasner explains that eliminating corruption or holding free and fair elections is often not possible today in many parts of the world but negotiated compromises and halting large-scale theft is. Better security and some economic growth are possible everywhere. How to Make Love to a Despot defines a new and pragmatic American foreign policy vision that quells terrorism and leads to “good governance” around the globe.Trade Review"One doesn't have to agree with Krasner's conclusions to see the value in this book. It is tightly argued and thought-provoking and a must read—even for those who believe that support for democracy should remain a cornerstone of American foreign policy." -- Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice

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Book SynopsisAmerican First Ladies is a testament to the visible role that first ladies have played in U.S. government, as well as the expanding interest in women's achievements from the birth of the country to the present time.This fourth edition of American First Ladies is a testament to the increasingly visible role that First Ladies have played throughout history. Similar to its companion volume, American Presidents, this updated work contains comprehensive essays on every first lady from Martha Washington to Jill Biden. Each biographical essay includes the following detailed sections: Early Life; Marriage and Family; Presidency and First Ladyship; and Legacy.Each chapter features anecdotal sidebars about the President and First Lady, an Annotated Suggested Reading, and more than 100 photographs and drawings appear throughout the work. American First Ladies also contains a detailed Introduction, Chronological List of vital information on each First Lady, Chronological list of Presidents, Libraries, Museums, Historic Sites, Bibliography, and Subject Index.

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Book SynopsisIn the nearly 250 years since its inception, the U.S. presidency has survived controversy, scandal, resignation, civil war, impeachment, and assassination. Every individual who has assumed the title of president has left a mark, for good or ill, on American history. This fifth edition of American Presidents examines the strengths and weaknesses, the successes and failures of each chief executive, from George Washington to Joe Biden.Following a detailed Introduction, each chapter presents a comprehensive portrait of each president, from birth to political rise to election, term(s) in office, defeat or retirement, and death. Topical subheadings help guide readers through the material. The legacy of each administration is measured against the yardstick of U.S. history, and the evolution of the office and country can be traced clearly. More than 250 photos, and excerpts from famous presidential speeches, punctuate this richly detailed edition.Every in-depth essay ends with an annotated Suggested Reading. The set also includes a reprint of the U.S. Constitution, detailed Timeline, Official Election Results, Cabinet Members, Executive Departments and Offices, list of First Ladies, Presidential Libraries, Museums and Historic Sites, Bibliography, and Subject Index.

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Book Synopsis Many myths have grown up around President Harry S. Truman’s decision to use nuclear weapons against Imperial Japan. In destroying these myths, Truman and the Bomb will discomfort both Truman’s critics and his supporters, and force historians to reexamine what they think they know about the end of the Pacific War.Myth: Truman didn’t know of the atomic bomb’s development before he became president. Fact: Truman’s knowledge of the bomb is revealed in his own carefully worded letters to a Senate colleague and specifically discussed in the correspondence between the army officers assigned to his Senate investigating committee.Myth: The huge casualty estimates cited by Truman and Secretary of War Henry Stimson were a postwar creation devised to hide their guilt for killing thousands of defenseless civilians. Fact: The flagrantly misrepresented “low” numbers are based on narrow slices of highly qualified—and limited—U.S. Army projections printed in a variety of briefing documents and are not from the actual invasion planning against Japan.Myth: Truman wanted to defeat Japan without any assistance from the Soviet Union and to freeze the USSR out of the postwar settlements. Fact: President Franklin D. Roosevelt and President Truman desperately wanted Stalin’s involvement in the bloody endgame of World War II and worked diligently—and successfully—toward that end. Using previously unpublished material, D. M. Giangreco busts these myths and more. An award-winning historian and expert on Truman, Giangreco is perfectly situated to debunk the many deep-rooted falsehoods about the roles played by American, Soviet, and Japanese leaders during the end of the World War II in the Pacific. Truman and the Bomb, a concise yet comprehensive study of Truman’s decision to use the atomic bomb, will prove to be a classic for studying presidential politics and influence on atomic warfare and its military and diplomatic components. Making this book particularly valuable for professors and students as well as for military, diplomatic, and presidential historians and history buffs are extensive primary source materials, including the planned U.S. naval and air operations in support of the Soviet invasion of Manchuria. These documents support Giangreco’s arguments while enabling the reader to enter the mindsets of Truman and his administration as well as the war’s key Allied participants. Trade Review"Giangreco's close analysis of these documents is thought-provoking, and makes a strong case that Truman believed dropping the bomb would save lives. Readers will come away with new insights into a world-changing event."—Publishers Weekly"Truman and the Bomb is relevant to today's national security professionals. Giangreco delivers a highly readable account that touches on the political and military aspects of a key presidential decision during war. This momentous decision during World War II is still felt today."—Clayton K. S. Chun, Parameters"Giangreco is a most able and indefatigable military historian who has made important contributions to the long-running debate over the use of the atomic bombs in August 1945."—Wilson D. Miscamble, Missouri Historical Review“D. M. Giangreco’s sweeping critique of revisionist interpretations of President Truman’s decision to use the atomic bomb against Japan is certain to stir renewed controversy. Giangreco vividly recreates the passion and emotion of the summer of 1945 in a first-rate account of the decision to use the weapon and the postwar historiography surrounding its use. Relying on documentary evidence, he highlights the stark difference between accuracy and opinion in historical writing.”—Edward J. Drea, author of Japan’s Imperial Army: Its Rise and Fall“Those who continue to cling to the belief that there was another way forward than dropping the atomic bombs, and who wish to retain their intellectual integrity, must read this book. D. M. Giangreco continues to lean on the stake driven through the heart of obsolete arguments from the 1960s antiwar movement, popular culture, and 1980s antinuclear academia that continue to reach out from the grave today.”—Sean M. Maloney, author of Emergency War Plan: The American Doomsday Machine, 1945–1960“[D. M. Giangreco has] demolished the claim that President Truman’s high casualty estimates were a postwar invention.”—Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr.“Dennis Giangreco has rendered obsolete most of what has been written on the subject.”—Robert James Maddox, professor emeritus of history at Pennsylvania State University and author of key books and articles on the history of the atomic bomb and American foreign policyTable of Contents List of Illustrations Foreword John T. Kuehn Prologue: The Debate 1. The Manhattan Project: What Did Truman Know and When Did He Know It? 2. Projects Milepost and Hula: America’s Hidden Role in the Soviet Invasion of Manchuria 3. Roosevelt, Stalin, and Poland: The Tehran, Moscow, and Yalta Conferences 4. A New President: “The Storm Broke Almost at Once” 5. Truman’s White House Meeting: “My Hardest Decision” 6. “I’ve Gotten What I Came For”: Potsdam, the Bomb, and Soviet Entry into the War Appendixes A. Air-Raid Casualties and Property Damage in Japan B. Memorandum on Ending the Japanese War C. The Historiography of Hiroshima: The Rise and Fall of Revisionism Michael Kort D. The Manhattan Project: A Chronology of Its Expansion and Subsequent Congressional Investigations E. “Between You, the Boss [Truman], and Me” F. Secretary of War Henry Stimson to Truman on Atom Bomb Development G. U.S. Navy Combatant Ships under Project Hula H. Agreement regarding the Entry of the Soviet Union into the War against Japan I. Secretary Stimson’s Proposed Program for Japan J. Proposal for Increasing the Scope of Casualties Studies K. Discussion of American Casualties at President Truman’s Meeting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Service Secretaries, June 18, 1945 L. General Thomas Handy’s Atomic Bomb Authorization M. Atomic Bomb Press Release N. Potsdam Declaration, July 26, 1945 O. Truman-Stalin Meeting at Potsdam P. Tripartite Military Meeting of the U.S., Soviet, and British Chiefs of Staff, July 26, 1945 Q. Planned U.S. Naval and Air Operations in Support of the Soviet Invasion of Manchuria R. Extract from the Log of the President’s Trip to the Berlin Conference, July 18, 1945 Notes Index

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Book SynopsisYoung American Foreign Service officers are accustomed to being teased by friends and relatives as to what they do in the “Foreign Legion” or the “Forest Service.” In the United States, unlike in many countries, the role of a professional diplomat is little known or understood. In A Professional Foreigner Edward Marks describes his life as an American diplomat who served during the last four decades of the twentieth century, from 1959 to 2001. Serving primarily in Africa and Asia, Marks was present during the era of decolonization in Africa (but always seemed to be at the opposite end of the continent from the hottest developments), was intimately involved in the early days of the U.S. government’s antiterrorism programs, observed the unfolding of a nasty and tragic ethnic conflict in one of the most charming countries in the world, and saw the end of the Cold War at UN headquarters in New York. Along the way Marks served as the U.S. ambassador to two African nations. In this memoir Marks depicts a Foreign Service officer’s daily life, providing insight into the profession itself and what it was like to play a role in the steady stream of history, in a world of quotidian events often out of the view of the media and the attention of the world. Marks’s stories—such as rescuing an American citizen from a house of ill repute in Mexico and the attempt to recruit mongooses for drug intervention in Sri Lanka—are both entertaining and instructive on the work of diplomats and their contributions to the American story. Trade Review“Edward Marks’s highly engaging and poignant memoir is also a valuable primer on the profession and art of diplomacy and the inner workings of institutions such as the U.S. State Department, the military, and the United Nations. Marks’s memoir is a paean to the golden age of diplomacy and multilateralism. . . . [Readers] will come away with admiration for his modesty, quiet humor, and commitment to service and to creating a better world.”—Milinda Moragoda, high commissioner of Sri Lanka to India, founder of the Pathfinder Foundation, and former cabinet minister in Sri Lanka“Edward Marks’s literate memoir of four decades practicing diplomacy in Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America is highly readable—as well as fun. A sharp observer of social and political behavior, he shows how the contrasting characters of European colonizers left lasting effects on their former colonies. . . . Highly recommended.”—William Harrop, former U.S. ambassador“A relatively small corps of several thousand American Foreign Service officers . . . promote and defend U.S. interests every day of the year as diplomats based in American embassies, consulates, and missions in every country in the world. How they carry out their responsibilities, and how they meet the many challenges that arise, constitutes a fascinating story. After a long and varied career in diplomacy, Edward Marks relates that story with sharp insights and nonstop amusement.”—Herman J. Cohen, former assistant secretary of state for African Affairs“Edward Marks takes us to the diplomatic coalface––the ‘workaday life of the American Foreign Service Officer.’ His main tools are observation, listening, and putting the results into language that bosses back home can understand. This is your handbook on what diplomacy is all about. . . . In a feast of anecdotes, you can smell the atmosphere in downtown Bissau, Luanda, Lubumbashi, Lusaka, and Nairobi––‘small Foreign Service posts . . . on the periphery of mainstream diplomacy,’ much more interesting than Paris, Moscow, or Beijing.”—Robert Cox, former European Union official and occasional diplomat“A seasoned diplomat’s memoir adds to our knowledge of practice, appealing to readers across countries. . . . The hallmark of Marks’s writing is his gentle humor, cloaking his passion.”—Kishan S. Rana, former ambassador, Indian Foreign ServiceTable of Contents List of Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Taking the Oath 2. About Diplomats 3. Apprenticeship 4. Nairobi, Nuevo Laredo, Luanda 5. Zambia 6. The Belgian World 7. Guinea-Bissau 8. Guinea-Bissau Politics and Economics 9. Cape Verde 10. Fort McNair 11. Colombo 12. The Diplomatic Village 13. Ethnic Strife in the “Blessed Isle” 14. Winding Up 15. Turtle Bay 16. Washington Entr’actes 17. Three Years before the Mast Epilogue Index

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Book SynopsisThe ties that bound Abraham Lincoln to California, and California to Lincoln, have long been overlooked by historians. Although the great Civil War president has been the subject of thousands of books, his important relationship with the Western state, both before and during the war—the part it played in bringing on the great conflict and the help it gave him in winning it—have been little described and imperfectly understood. In Lincoln and California Brian McGinty explains the relationship between the president and the Golden State, describing important events that took place in California and elsewhere during Lincoln’s lifetime. He includes the histories of Lincoln’s close friends and personal acquaintances who made history as they went to California, lived there, and helped to keep it part of the imperiled Union. McGinty demonstrates that California was in large part responsible for beginning the Civil War, as the principal purpose of its conquest in the Mexican War was to acquire land into which the Southern states could extend their cotton-growing and slaveholding empire. The decision of California’s first voters to exclude slavery from the state but to enact virulently racist legislation encouraged Southerners’ hope that, if they established a separate republic, it would become an independent slave nation with the power to extend its territory to the Pacific coast of North America and into the Caribbean and Latin America. Lincoln’s opposition to their plans unleashed the Civil War. As the struggle played out, however, the hopes of the proslavery Confederates were ultimately defeated because California played a vital role in helping Lincoln save the Union. Lincoln and California shines new light on an important state, a pivotal president, and a turning point in American history. Trade Review"Brian McGinty's informative survey of the many Civil War-era connections between the Golden State and the nation's 16th president effectively combines content and approachability."—Civil War Books and Authors blog"McGinty's book is a fine read and undoubtedly makes important contributions to the body of Lincoln scholarship. . . . Lincoln aficionados should welcome this work into their collections."—Derek Maxfield, Emerging Civil WarPraise for Brian McGinty’s Archy Lee’s Struggle for Freedom “Brian McGinty is an enormously talented storyteller and historian. He has a journalist’s sense of how to ferret out facts and stories and weave them together.”—Paul Finkelman, noted scholar of American legal history and Rydell Visiting Professor at Gustavus Adolphus CollegePraise for Brian McGinty’s Lincoln’s Greatest Case: The River, the Bridge, and the Making of America “Accomplished legal historian Brian McGinty has provided the definitive account of a crucial episode in Abraham Lincoln’s career as an attorney. . . . Anyone seeking to better understand the origins of the growing tensions between political parties in mid-nineteenth-century America will find this book absolutely essential.”—Harold Holzer, prize-winning Lincoln scholar and distinguished authorPraise for Brian McGinty’s Lincoln’s Greatest Case: The River, the Bridge, and the Making of America “Of the 5,000-plus cases in which attorney Abraham Lincoln participated, none had more national significance than the one that Brian McGinty ably describes and analyzes in this highly readable volume. Based on thorough research, McGinty not only sheds a bright light on Lincoln’s contribution to the defense of the bridge company but also places the story within the larger context of American economic, social, and military history.”—Michael Burlingame, noted Lincoln scholar and president of the Abraham Lincoln AssociationTable of ContentsList of Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction 1. April 14, 1865 2. A Western Free State Man 3. Honest Old Abe 4. California’s Future 5. The War Begins 6. The First Californian 7. The Office Seekers 8. The Judges 9. Destiny’s Land 10. Gold, Silver, and Greenbacks 11. The Native Peoples 12. The War Continues 13. Letters from Washington 14. The View from Lone Mountain 15. What Was Remembered Chronology Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisWhile critical race theory is a framework employed by activists and scholars within and outside the confines of education, there are limited resources for leadership practitioners that provide insight into critical race theory and the possibilities of implementing a critical race praxis approach to leadership. With a continued top-down approach to educational policy and practice, it is imperative that educational leaders understand how critical race theory and praxis can assist them in utilizing their agency and roles as leaders to identify and challenge institutional and systemic racism and other forms/manifestations of oppression (Stovall, 2004). In the tradition of critical race theory, we are charged with the task of operationalizing theory into practice in the struggle for, and commitment to, social justice. Though educational leaders and leadership programs have been all but absent in this process, given their influence and power, educational leaders need to be engaged in this endeavor.The objective of this edited volume is to draw upon critical race counter-stories and praxis for the purpose of providing leaders in training and practicing K-12 leaders with tangible narratives that demonstrate how racism and its intersectionality with other forms of oppression manifest within K-12 schooling. An additional aim of this book is to provide leaders with a working knowledge of the central tenets of critical race theory and the tools that are required in recognizing how they might be complicit in the reproduction of institutional and systemic racism and other forms of oppression. More precisely, this edited volume intends to draw upon and center the lived experiences and voices of contributors that have experienced racism in K-12 schooling. Through the use of critical race methodology and counter-storytelling (Solórzano & Yosso, 2002), contributors will share and interrogate their experiences while offering current and future educational leaders insight in recognizing how racism functions within institutions and how they can address it. The intended goal of this edited volume is to translate critical race theory into practice while emphasizing the need for educational leaders to develop a critical race praxis and anti-racist approach to leadership.

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